‘If you keep snakes in your backyard…’: Pakistan tops GTI as most terror-affected nation

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, standing alongside then Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in 2011, in one of her most famous diplomatic rebukes in recent history, said: “It's like that old story—you can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually, those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard.”

Clinton used the analogy to warn Pakistan about its policy of supporting or tolerating militant groups. Her warning appears to have come true in 2026, as the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2026 has placed Pakistan at the top, making it the world's most terror-affected country in 2025, with 1,139 deaths, 1,045 attacks, 1,595 people injured, and 655 hostages.

Pakistan has recorded the highest score on the index at 8.574, marking its deadliest year since 2013. The country has now witnessed six consecutive years of rising terrorism-related deaths. Notably, it stands out as the only nation in South Asia where the security situation deteriorated in 2025, while all other countries in the region recorded improvement.

The bulk of the violence was concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, two provinces long marked by political discontent with Islamabad. Together, they accounted for 74 per cent of total attacks and 67 per cent of terrorism-related deaths.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remained the most active militant group during the year. It carried out 595 attacks in 2025, resulting in 637 deaths, amounting to 56 per cent of all terror-related fatalities in the country.

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The nature of violence also intensified. Targeted killings surged by 450 per cent, and police casualties increased significantly. The TTP has expanded its operational capabilities, including the use of drones. An estimated 6,000 to 6,500 TTP fighters are believed to be operating from bases in Afghanistan, using the territory to launch cross-border attacks. Around 85 per cent of these strikes occurred within 10 to 50 kilometres of the Afghan border.

In one of the most significant incidents of the year, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a passenger train in March 2025, taking 442 people hostage, making it the largest single terrorist attack recorded globally in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 report. The group’s strategy has shifted from a separatist insurgency to what the report describes as anti-state terrorism, with a growing focus on targeting Chinese nationals and infrastructure linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in addition to Pakistani security forces.

Despite facing terrorism as the biggest challenge to national security, Pakistan continues to harbour radical elements against its neighbours, especially India. Recent terror incidents in India, including in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, can be traced back to Pakistan.

Islamabad has also followed a pattern of externalising its problems by accusing India and Afghanistan of supporting terrorist activities inside Pakistan, a claim both countries have consistently rejected.

Pakistan declared an “open war” against Afghanistan in February over terror-related accusations after blaming Kabul for assisting terrorists behind the Islamabad mosque bombing on February 6 and high-casualty attacks on military checkpoints in Bajaur and Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of northwestern Pakistan in mid-February.